


Dickiebird's Shadow

by incorrectbatfam



Series: Dick and Dami Week 2021 [6]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Humor, M/M, Tumblr: Dick and Dami Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 02:47:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29992722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/incorrectbatfam/pseuds/incorrectbatfam
Summary: Wally can say with full conviction his boyfriend is cursed.~Dick and Dami Week day 6: Proud |Protective brothers| “You’re safe”
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson/Wally West, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Dick and Dami Week 2021 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2197983
Comments: 2
Kudos: 197
Collections: DickAndDamiWeek2021





	Dickiebird's Shadow

_“Have fun on your anniversary!” Bruce said. “Just not too much fun, you hear?”_

_Dick groaned playfully. “We’re grown men, B.”_

_“You don’t have to worry about us, Mr. Wayne.”_

_Bruce hummed. “I know.”_

Wally can’t shake the feeling he’s being watched.

It was like when a child tries to cover up a mistake, they walk around all day paranoid their parents found out and have a punishment already lined up.

 _That_ feeling. Only he’s a grown man who did nothing wrong.

It started at the movies. 

Whenever he tried to put an arm around his boyfriend, something—call it a speedster’s instinct—forced him to retract it like he was a mannequin on a cable. All the other couples at the Valentine’s Day rom-com premiere were holding hands, cuddling, and kissing as the characters worked through how to confess their love to each other (except for one kid at the end of their row with a hoodie and a fidget spinner). And then there was Wally, whose arm hairs stood up even when he tried to reach into the shared popcorn tub. 

After several warded attempts at getting close, he resolved to keep his eyes on the screen and hands to himself. If Dick noticed, he didn’t say anything.

It happened again at the arcade.

This time, it was a breeze on the back of his neck, like a phantom brushing him with a bony, sheet-covered finger. He involuntarily shivered.

Dick paused mid–basketball throw. “You okay, babe?”

“Yeah, yeah. I just need to, uh, use the bathroom.”

Wally sped off as fast as his civvies would allow and locked himself in the single-stall bathroom.

He’s not going crazy, is he? Technically, anyone could be considered crazy for putting on spandex and taking Captain Cold head-to-head, but he liked to think he’s still sane compared to people like Dr. Fate and Red Hood (no offense to them). 

Maybe someone drugged his drink at the movies.

No, his metabolism’s too fast.

Maybe he hit his head and was hallucinating from a concussion.

That’s still not a plausible explanation. He hadn’t hit his head as of late, and any injury would’ve disappeared long before this evening with his healing factor. Besides, do concussions even _cause_ hallucinations?

Maybe he’s just sleep-deprived. He _had_ been out late on patrol last night. Stupid Mirror Master.

But do speedsters suffer the same effects of sleep deprivation?

Wally shook his head. He turned the faucet to the coldest setting and splashed the water on his face. 

When he dried his face, it’s as if a fog lifted. Each wipe from the paper towel cleared the ominous feeling. 

He _was_ just irrationally paranoid after all.

Wally made his way through the ocean of kids—someone must be throwing a birthday party. Dear God, why do children have to be so _tiny_? He nearly stepped on a little girl’s foot and a kid in a green hoodie rudely bumped into him.

Stumbling across the lumpy carpet, he threw his arms around Dick. “I’m ba-ack! Did you miss me?”

Dick placed a finger under Wally’s chin. “What took you so long? Usually you take three seconds, tops.”

“Uh… Angry Birds on the toilet?”

Dick laughed and moved in for a kiss.

The feeling returned.

Wally jumped back.

“Babe, is something wrong?” Dick placed his hand on Wally’s. 

The sense of impending doom rose tenfold. Wally snapped his hand back as though Dick’s palm was a stovetop. 

“Wally, you’re worrying me,” Dick said. “What’s going on?”

Wally groaned. “I’m gonna sound like a total psycho.”

“And I’ll still love you.”

He pulled Dick aside and lowered his voice. “I think someone’s watching me. You. _Us_. I don’t know. It’s that or you gotta commit me to Arkham.”

“Someone as in a villain?” Dick asked.

Wally shook his head. “Not exactly. It feels… how do I say it? Supernatural, almost, but not quite. It’s like when Raven suddenly appears in the room and you almost pee your pants.”

“I’m not gonna discount you right away,” Dick said, “but let’s try ruling out other options. When did this start happening?”

“Earlier,” Wally said. “Back at the movies.”

“Did it ever stop?”

“Once, a few minutes ago. When I went to the bathroom.” He paused. “You’re not like… _haunted_ , are you? Or like, cursed?"

Dick crossed his arms. “Babe, you’ve known me for almost a decade. _What_ on Earth would suddenly start haunting me?”

“I dunno, Jason’s ghost?”

“Jason’s alive.”

Dick placed a hand on Wally’s shoulder. Alarms blared in his mind. Everything in Wally’s body screamed for him to do what all Flashes are good at: _run_.

He lurched away. “There it is again! It’s like something’s out to kill me!”

Confusion, hurt, and resolve crossed Dick’s face. “We’re gonna figure this out. A good detective considers all possibilities. When’s the last time you had water?”

“Before we got here.”

“ _Hmm_ , and food?”

“Also before we got here—popcorn, remember?”

“Right.” Dick checked the time. “I think it’s time for you to eat something, then. I swear it’s like feeding a hummingbird.” He moved to ruffle Wally’s hair, only to stop when the latter flinched. “Okay, no touching ‘till we figure this out. No big deal. It’s not like I planned on _doing stuff_ for our _anniversary_.”

“Let’s just hope we figure this out soon.”

Dick chuckled. “Don’t worry, babe. Something tells me we will.”

They had reservations at an Italian place, though the half-occupied state made Wally wonder why they _needed_ reservations. Other than the workers, the only other people there were an elderly couple, a family with four toddlers, and some poor kid in a hoodie who looked like he got stood up by his date. Plastic grapevines crawled up the sand-colored pillars. Tuscan landscape paintings adorned the walls intermittently with black-and-white photos of the past generations of the family owning the restaurant.

A cheerful waitress showed Dick and Wally to their table—a corner booth with no doors or windows for anyone to peep through. 

She placed a basket of breadsticks in front of them and said, “I’ll give you a few minutes with the menu.”

Wally flipped through the menu. “What are you gonna get?”

Dick, who had been surveying the room, turned his attention back to Wally. “You were saying something?”

“The food. Any idea what you’re gonna get?”

“Hm…” He glanced down. “The vegetarian linguini looks good. I’m sure Damian’s hungry from following us around all night.”

He smirked. The hoodie kid at the other table cursed.

Dick beckoned Damian over with a fond smile. “Kid, what are you doing?”

“ _Tt_ , what does it look like I am doing? I am overseeing your little trollop in case West tries to pull anything,” said the boy.

“Mhm, and how long were you planning to keep that up?” Dick asked.

Damian lifted his pant leg to reveal at least six knives and twice as many shurikens. “As long as I needed.”

Dick laughed. “Go home, Lil’ D.”

“But who will watch over you?” Damian’s expression was one of a pleading child hiding behind an exasperated leader.

Dick ruffled Damian’s hair. “I know you mean well, but you don’t need to watch over me. _Especially_ when I’m with Wally. Speaking of whom, I think you owe him an apology for convincing him I was haunted.”

“Dude, now I _know_ you’re haunted,” said Wally.

Damian turned to Wally and mumbled a sorry under his breath.

“Eh, I’ll take it.” Wally shrugged.

“Now run along, baby bat,” Dick said. “I’ll see you at home.”

“Very well.” 

Damian took the breadsticks and left.

“Brothers, amiright?” Dick asked.

“Yeah,” Wally said, stirring the ice cubes in his water. He leaned forward. “So, Dickiebird, word on the street is you planned on _doing stuff_ …”


End file.
